Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/183630
crazy Woman Driver plenty of food, music and other entertainment – and huge crowds. I'm the first to admit that not everyone is there for the racing, but the fact is these events are packed, whereas most of the suburban and exurban ovals like Texas and Iowa are not. So there is IndyCar's destiny, focused on big cities with diverse populations that embrace drivers from around the globe (essentially the exact opposite of NASCAR's strength). And in that regard, I see IndyCar as the motorized version of the National Hockey League. There's probably nothing the series can do to raise its national TV ratings beyond a certain ceiling, but it doesn't really matter. The NHL's national TV ratings aren't much, either, but its most of its franchises thrive on a dedicated local or regional base of passionate fans. CHANGING LANES The same can be said for IndyCar's street and road races. And because of that, the IndyCar Series looks to be finally getting off thin ice. Kay Bell is an Austin, Texas-based writer. When she's not yelling at her television during NASCAR races, she writes about financial topics and blogs about taxes at Don't Mess With Taxes (www. dontmesswithtaxes.typepad.com). 22 1013 crazy woman driver cl.indd 3 LOOSE LUGNUTS Ford leaving NHRA top tier: After 16 years with Ford as a partner, NHRA champion John Force is looking for another manufacturer. The Blue Oval is dropping its support of race teams on the NHRA professional level after 2014. Along with Force, other top NHRA Funny Car teams Tasca Racing and Tim Wilkerson Racing are scrambling for another manufacturer and more sponsorship beginning in 2015. So what will happen to Force, who also learned in August that Castrol, one of his sponsors for 29 years, also is leaving his team after 2014? He's being cagey, but don't count the 15-time champ out of NHRA competition just yet. So long, JPM: Juan Pablo Montoya and Earnhardt Ganassi Racing didn't wait for silly season. They announced a parting of ways this summer and it doesn't look like the Colombian racing champ will be back in NASCAR. Montoya, a regular winner in CART and Formula 1 before coming to stock cars in 2006, hasn't had similar success in NASCAR. Still, the decision to sever ties came as a bit of a shock, not only because of the timing, but also because Montoya and EGR had been together so long. Only seven other drivers have been with their current teams as long as Montoya has been with EGR: OCTOBER 2013 // WWW.CHANGINGLANESDIGITAL.COM 9/6/13 8:55 AM